The pathophysiology of abdominal aortic aneurysm growth: Corresponding and discordant inflammatory and proteolytic processes in abdominal aortic and popliteal artery aneurysms

Objective: There is remarkable controversy over the processes driving abdominal aneurysm growth. The inherent limitations of animal and human studies hamper elucidation of the key inflammatory and proteolytic processes. Human data are largely derived from surgical specimens that typically reflect the final stages of the disease process and thus...